A New Beginning for Walther: The Walther PPQ M2 is a rock star (VIDEO)

I know my way around the PPK. I love the look and function of the iconic German service pistol (and their latest .22 LR version, too). But I’ve never taken an interest in their polymer framed pistols. It isn’t that they’re not nice, or functional. They simply didn’t stand out in the vast array of other polymer framed pistols.

But that was then. Walther sent us this PPQ M2 to review and it is a rock-star.

The PPQ M2

The PPQ M2 is a 4-inch polymer pistol available in 9mm or 40 S&W. It is also available with a 5-inch barrel in either 9mm or .40. A 4 1/2 inch version of the 9mm has a threaded barrel. The polymer keeps the gun light — right at a 1 1/2 pounds empty.

The gun is single action only. It is striker fired. The trigger pull comes in at 5 1/2 pounds. The entire gun is only 7-inches long. At just over 5-inches high and under an 1 1/2 inches wide, the PPQ is easily concealed.

And with a double stack magazine that holds 15 rounds of 9mm, the PPQ M2 becomes an ideal mid-sized compact for self defense. It is big enough to deliver a sizable round count, but small enough to tuck inside a waistband. And it shoots exceptionally well.

The controls on the PPQ M2 are truly ambidextrous. The slide stop is already double sided, and the magazine drop button can be reversed. As there are no traditional manual safeties, that is not a concern. There are three safeties built into the gun: two drop safeties and a firing pin block for safe carry. But if it is cocked, the PPQ will fire when the trigger is pulled.

Walther call this their Quick Defense Trigger. And I’ve preached the idea for a long time. I understand why some people want safeties. But in a world where split second readiness is an asset, the quick defense trigger might be an asset.

The trigger has a clean break, and a short travel (less than half an inch). The reset is super short (Walther says 0.1 inch). The short trigger reset allows for fast double-taps.

The polymer frame is very well stippled. The grip, with its varied back-straps, can be sized to fit a wide variety of shooters. Walther’s grip has a pronounced hump that fits exceptionally well in the hand. And the trigger guard is squared off, and even a bit con cave, for shooters who like to hold onto the guard while they shoot.

As this is a concealed carry gun, the Walther has low profile three-dot polymer combat sights. They’re really simple, and highly functional. My only concern about the polymer sights is how they will age. But out of the box, they work exceptionally well.

The rear sight is adjustable for windage. For those who share my concern about polymer, Walther makes optional metal self-illumination and metal Tritium night sights.

The PPQ M2 slide is finished in Tenifer, a ferritic nitrocarburizing process. It provides a matte finish that offers more corrosion resistance than stainless. I like the finish, and the way Walther has beveled the slide. The angular top, with the flat strip, doesn’t catch the sun.

And that same angular aesthetic, which is admittedly very functional, continues all over the slide. The deep slide serrations on the front and rear of the slide mean there’s very little real estate on the slide that can’t be gripped. Beneath the slide, there’s a small section of rail for the attachment of a laser or light.

Walther calls this look “distinctive Walther styling.” And it is distinctive. The heavy texture of the slide meets the ergonomic curves of the frame to create a mixed bag that is incredibly functional, even if the old fashioned Walther fans won’t ever consider it attractive.

Shooting the PPQ M2

I shoot surprisingly well with the PPQ. It points well. The trigger pull is really consistent. The trigger safety helps in finding good placement for my finger, which makes a tremendous difference for accuracy.

Recoil is sharp on the small gun. It doesn’t weigh enough to counteract the punch of the 9mm. But the aggressive texture of the frame and slide offer a really solid grip for both hands, and it isn’t much of a challenge to hold the gun down.

I shot several different scenarios with the PPQ. I worked on Target is Moving’s swinging target. I ran the PPQ in a steel challenge course, and I practiced basic accuracy skills. The PPQ did great in each scenario. With no practice, I was able to clear stages of the steel challenge course in just over six seconds. That’s not bad for me. I shot cold, on a course I hadn’t shot before. Five targets of varying sizes, at unknown distances, with a gun I was just learning. From the holster.

The target below is from the Target is Moving. 46 rounds, from 25 yards, with the target on a fast erratic pattern. I hit with almost half.

A new beginning for Walther

When the PPQ came in for review, I was pleasantly surprised. I was prepared to be ambivalent. And then I shot it. After I saw what I could do with it, I gave it a fair chance. After, I’m not only impressed with the gun, but feeling a bit of genuine respect for a gun I hadn’t expected to like.

Walther has nailed it with this one. It is a great carry pistol. I think it will compete well with Glock, Springfield and Smith & Wesson. And with an MSRP of $599, they will appeal to a lot of folks who may never have consider Walther an option for everyday carry.

I love the anti gun people comments, but put those same people in a home invasion situation where some strangers break in wearing masks n decide to rape n kill every family member in front of the others and see how quick they would change their minds.and on a side note these same anti gun people after the incident if still alive call people to show up and they bring more people n more guns.

SL, your premise is incorrect, or at least too often wrong, therefore your conclusion is wrong. If violence always begets violence, then I'd agree with you, but it doesn't. There is such a thing as defensive violence, where one has to counteract violence initiated against them with equal or greater force. Like it or not, the world is not always a nice place and the time to start thinking about defense is before you might ever need it, not during or afterwards.

SL, that sounds all nice and earthy but do you not read the news or listen to TV or the internet? I wish I didn't have to worry about violence to myself or my family but there are some evil people out there. You can stick your head in the sand or attempt to protect yourself. That is your choice but I have made mine. Just out of curiosity, can you find me a time during the history of mankind when there was no violence on this planet??

Sandra Lainhart - People like you who feel so little about our right to life and property are what is wrong with society. People like you are willing to be enslaved, victimized and used by evil people. It's your passivity that encourages evil and violence.

You really have to hold this pistol in your own hands to truly appreciate how fantastic it is. I was filling out the paperwork for mine within 10 minutes of holding my first PPQ (mine is the original with the paddle-style release, but I have held the new M2 with the button release and it feels exactly the same in the hands, which is to say it feels GREAT).

Jamal Carlson No...ignorant socialists are what is wrong with this country. The same sort of people that gave us Marx, Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, and over 100 million dead. These guys were all anti-gun nuts too...tyrants who banned their people from having arms...and then proceeded to murder them.

Jamal- yeah, it's the gun owners..not the criminals or the people who coddle the criminals..just the gun owners who want to protect themselves. What about knife owners? Or truck and rope owners who drag living things behind them.. should I keep going?

The first time I handled one of these, it immediately felt like it belonged in my hand, not like some that 'you'd get used to' but actually felt like it belonged there...give it a look see, you'll not be disappointed...

I recently won a raffle where a Springfield 1911 was promoted. Having the option to take any gun of comparable value, I held a Kimber, a Ruger and a 1911. I'm a very inexperienced shooter, but when I held the PPQ, it just felt like a natural extension of my arm. After reading reviews, and letting my more experienced friends shoot it, I realized I made a wise choice.

It's not technically single action only, it is pre-cocked striker fired with a much lighter trigger pull and a much shorter reset than any trigger-cocked single action could ever have. People like to call it SAO because the trigger is the same, every shot.

This gun is NOT "truly ambidextrous". A reversible magazine catch is NOT ambidextrous. A magazine catch that can be operated from BOTH sides of the gun (Springfield XD series) is ambidextrous. It would be nice if you gun reviewers would quit making guns out to be what they are not.